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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23625340">Conversations in the Dark</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocomint8/pseuds/chocomint8'>chocomint8</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Legacies (TV 2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Multi, Slow Burn, more tags to come</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:00:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,800</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23625340</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocomint8/pseuds/chocomint8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After spending some time away to work through everything that's happened, Jade returns to the Salvatore Boarding School. Begins post 2x16.</p><p>Her first day back had been long and strange. Like something out of The Twilight Zone. The school and her classes were pretty much the same. But all of the people were new. The students she’d gone to school with were long gone and now she was surrounded by strangers.</p><p>But she was determined to have her life return to some semblance of normal and that normalcy included carrying on a conversation with other people. Damn, it was hard. But not with Josie. Talking to Josie felt like the easiest thing in the world.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hope Mikaelson &amp; Josie Saltzman, Jade/Josie Saltzman, Josie Saltzman &amp; Lizzie Saltzman, Kaleb Hawkins &amp; Jade, Milton "MG" Greasley &amp; Jade, Milton "MG" Greasley/Lizzie Saltzman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>97</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Twilight Zone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jade sat outside of Dr. Saltzman’s office, waiting for him to invite her in. After the therapy simulation had gone awry, he’d shipped her off to Europe to deal with everything with Caroline’s help. The last week or so had been filled with vampire head dives and stories of other vampires that were long dead, with some yoga and breathing exercises thrown in for good measure. </p><p>A few witches were sitting down the hall, gossiping. She tried not to eavesdrop, but she couldn’t help herself, vamp hearing and all.</p><p>They were talking about Josie. Jade’s brows furrowed in confusion – Josie had gone dark again? She’d merged with her sister? Jade had only been gone a week. And she’d spent that time with Caroline. Surely, she would’ve known what was going on. Wouldn’t she?</p><p>“Jade?” Alaric asked, opening his office door.</p><p>After Jade found a seat, Alaric sat down at the desk in front of her, opening her file.</p><p>“Now Jade, you know that we normally don’t admit vampires older than 17. However, since you were already enrolled as a student here before I sent you away, we’re going to make an exception. Since your humanity switch was off the whole time, emotionally, you pretty much are that same seventeen-year-old girl I sent over there. After discussing it with Caroline, we’ve agreed to allow you to resume your schooling, on a probationary basis.  You’ll be staying in the old mill until we’ve determined you’re ready to move to the dorms.  But don’t worry, some of the other students have helped to renovate it and everything you need should be there.”</p><p>Dr. Saltzman handed her a piece of paper with her class schedule on it.</p><p>“Right now, we do have one other ripper as a student, MG. You’ll begin joining him during his therapy sessions and my hope is that the two of you will look out for each other – like an accountability partner of sorts. Since it’s been awhile since you’ve been a student here, I’ve asked the vampire representative of the school honor council, Kaleb, to show you around over the next few days and answer any questions you may have.”</p><p>Jade sat quietly, slightly taken aback. When he'd sent her to Caroline, he’d said that she would be allowed to return as a student once she’d worked with Caroline, but she’d had a hard time letting herself believe it was true. “Really?” Jade asked breathlessly.</p><p>Alaric nodded, “You were right. You were screaming for help and I couldn’t see it. I was supposed to teach you, not send you away. I’ve been dealing with vampires and the supernatural for a really long time. I know that it’s so much more complicated than I’d like to believe.  I shouldn’t have given up on you and I’m sorry that I did.” Alaric paused, glancing at his watch, “It’s getting pretty late. You should probably head to bed. Big day tomorrow.”</p><p>………</p><p>The next morning, Josie was sitting at breakfast with Lizzie and MG, picking at her cereal and trying to ignore the stares and whispers of her fellow students. Especially the daggers that Alyssa Chang had been shooting in her direction all morning.</p><p>“What the hell is she still doing here?” Lizzie asked suddenly.  Josie looked up and spotted a familiar blonde vampire. </p><p>“She’s in school here,” MG said, “Your dad told me about her yesterday. Ripper solidarity and all,” he laughed.</p><p>Lizzie huffed something snarky in response, but Josie didn’t hear her. Instead she watched Jade.  She was looking out at the room full of strangers with a brave look on her face, but Josie could see that she was scared. Suddenly Jade locked eyes with her and Josie felt a flutter in her chest. She waved Jade over.</p><p>“She tried to kill us,” Lizzie hissed across the table.</p><p>“I tried to kill you,” Josie countered, shooting her twin a look as Jade sat down.</p><p>“Hi,” Jade said to Josie with a shy smile. </p><p>“I’m MG,” MG interrupted, thrusting his hand across the table for Jade to shake. </p><p>“Right. Dr. Saltzman told me about you,” Jade said with a small smile.</p><p>“It’s nice to meet another vamp, like me, you know, a ripper. Turns out we’re pretty rare.” MG laughed.</p><p>Lizzie rolled her eyes in response before turning to MG, “Walk me to class.”</p><p>“What?” MG asked, confusion clouding his face. “It’s not…” He trailed off, noticing the pointed look on her face. “We better get going, see you guys later.” </p><p>“Your sister can really hold a grudge, huh?” Jade asked with a laugh.  </p><p>“She’ll get over it,” Josie said with a small smile. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to see you again,” she said shyly.</p><p>“What? No, I..” Jade’s stammered, her eyes clouded in concern at the realization that Josie thought she’d run.  “After the simulation, your dad sent me to Europe to work through everything with your mom. I just got back last night. I had no idea what happened until I overheard some witches talking while I was waiting outside of your dad’s office.”</p><p>“My mom?”  Josie asked, surprised.</p><p>Jade nodded, “Turns out she has some experience with rippers and humanity switches. She gave the me green light to come back and here I am.” She smiled.</p><p>“Here you are,” Josie responded with a small laugh. “How’s the Old Mill?”</p><p>“Good,” Jade nodded, taking a small sip of her blood bag. She shuddered. After ten years of human blood, going back to animal blood would take some getting used to. To her surprise, the school now had both, but Jade didn’t want to risk losing control after getting a taste of human blood. “It’s actually pretty nice now, running water and everything.”</p><p>Josie smiled, “My dad asked some of the other students to help renovate it for extra credit. I heard Wendy went home. I’m sorry, it seemed like you two were close.”</p><p>“We were. She was my best friend. We were complete opposites, but she was a really good friend to me. You know, aside from her questionable taste in guys and talking me into doing stupid shit that got us sent to detention. But after everything that happened, she couldn’t stay – she just wanted to go home. I miss her, but I get it. My new roommate doesn’t seem to like me though,” Jade said, looking over at Alyssa, who was still glaring in their direction.</p><p>“That probably has more to do with me than you,” Josie said, looking embarrassed.</p><p>“What happened?” Jade asked softly, absentmindedly brushing her thigh against Josie’s as their eyes met.  Before Josie could respond, both girls jumped at the sound of Kaleb’s voice, he was now standing at the table next to them.</p><p>“Hey! I'm Kaleb,” Kaleb said. You must be Jade,”</p><p>Jade nodded, “So, you’re the vampire representative of the honor council? We didn’t have that before. Does that mean you’re the vamp in charge around here?”</p><p>“Something like that,” Kaleb laughed, “I see you’ve already met Jo.  She’s pretty cool, for a witch,” Kaleb teased. </p><p>Josie laughed and playfully kicked him. “Kaleb’s pretty cool for a vampire. Most of the time.”</p><p>“You ready to go? We probably have time for a short tour before your first class. Show you everything that’s changed since you were a student here?”</p><p>Jade nodded, finishing off the last of her blood bag and standing. “See you around, Jose.” She said with a small smile. Josie smiled back, “See you around, Jade.”</p><p>As Kaleb showed her around the school, Jade did her best to make small talk.  She was discovering that it was harder than she thought it would be. Though, she guessed it made sense. After all, she’d spent the past ten years with her humanity off. And those years had been spent with the same three people running around and trying to kill each other every day. Making normal human conversation hadn’t exactly been a priority for them. But she was determined to have her life return to some semblance of normal and that normalcy included carrying on a conversation with other people. Damn, it was hard. But not with Josie. Talking to Josie felt like the easiest thing in the world.</p><p>“You don’t have plans tonight, do you?” Kaleb asked her as they reached the doorway of her first class.</p><p>When Jade shook her head, he continued, “Good. We have a bit of a tradition here. When a new vampire comes to school, all of us vamps gather for a bonfire and drink beer. And the new vamp tells us how they turned. Meet up around nine at- “</p><p>“Fell’s church?” Jade finished, “It’s called a tradition for a reason.” She said with a laugh. “I’ll meet you there.”</p><p>……………</p><p>That night, Jade walked up to the ruins of Fell’s church. Her first day back had been long and strange. Like something out of The Twilight Zone. The school and her classes were pretty much the same. But all of the people were new. The students she’d gone to school with were long gone and she was surrounded by strangers. But now, walking up to a bonfire surrounded by vampires, preparing to share the story of how she turned, made her feel as though she’d gone back in time. </p><p>“Alright, y’all,” Kaleb said, standing up and handing Jade a beer, “You know the drill. We’re welcoming a new vamp into our ranks so she’s going to tell us the story of how she turned. This is Jade. Whenever you’re ready,” he told her with a small smile.</p><p>Jade took a deep breath, looking down at her beer can. She’d done this before, over a decade ago, yet she still felt nervous. “I was walking back to my car one night at school. I’d stayed late to study in the school’s computer lab because my foster parents had pretty shitty internet. When I got to the parking lot, this vampire grabbed me. I guess he wanted to try the whole snatch, eat, erase thing. Only he ate too much, so he ended up having to give me his blood to save my life. The next day, they were giving me a ride to school because my car wouldn’t start when another car swerved into our lane. All three of us were killed pretty instantly, but since I still had vampire blood in my veins, I came back.”</p><p>After Jade finished, she looked up to see the other vampires staring at her. The first time around, she hadn’t been the only one in their group to have also lost a loved one when they turned, but judging by the reactions of the other students, she was this time. </p><p>She raised a hand to her face. She hadn’t realized, but she was crying. She guessed it made sense, Caroline had warned her that her emotions would be much stronger than normal for a little while until she got used to her humanity being back on. She hadn’t thought about her parents in over ten years and she realized that recounting the story of their deaths must have triggered her grief. </p><p>“It’s okay, guys,” Jade said, wiping her eyes with a small laugh, “It was over ten years ago.  I miss them so much, but they were good people and I know that they’ve found peace. I’d bounced around in the system since I was born, but when I got placed with them when I was 15, things were different. They died before they had the chance to officially adopt me, but when I came to the school, I asked Dr. Saltzman if I could change my last name to theirs. I’d never really had the last name of anyone who’s loved me before.  I thought it was a good way to honor them, so I became Jade Holland.”</p><p>She looked up to see reassuring and sympathetic smiles from her fellow vampires. “Thanks for sharing, Jade,” MG said with a small smile. The other vampires nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Zoey, do you want to share?” Kaleb asked a red-headed vampire who was sitting across the fire from Jade.</p><p>To her surprise, the other vampires began to cheer, egging on the red head. “I guess,” Zoey stood up, “Sounds like I’m still the reigning champ for the most embarrassing way to turn.”</p><p>As the vampire shared her story, Jade felt herself begin to laugh, really laugh, for the first time in ten years. Maybe she could really do this. Maybe she could return to the school and make real friends, good friends. And maybe Josie Saltzman would be one of those friends. Maybe even more than that. For the first time in a long time, the world felt like it had been cracked wide open, with possibilities spilling out, ready for Jade to grasp onto. And she couldn’t wait.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. That Same Annoying Flutter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, Jade joined Kaleb for his daily run. He’d invited her after the bonfire last night.  Jade had never really been into running. She’d played a couple sports growing up, depending on if she was lucky enough to have foster parents who would sign her up. But she was nowhere near as athletic as Kaleb had been.</p><p> At first, she’d said yes simply because she liked Kaleb and thought he’d be a good friend for her to have. But the more she thought about it, she realized that it could actually be really good for her. Caroline, as she’d insisted Jade call her, had told her that one of the best ways to distract herself from the bloodlust was to focus on something else – food, alcohol, exercise. Since underage drinking on campus was definitely out of the question, Jade figured she may as well take up running.</p><p>They’d run nearly five miles that morning around the perimeter of the school.  Jade quickly discovered that she loved running.  The feeling of the wind rushing through her long ponytail, the sound of leaves crunching beneath her feet, she almost felt as though she was flying. Like all of her problems had simply melted away. For those five incredible miles, she didn’t feel like a ripper, she didn’t feel the bloodlust, she just felt like Jade. It was euphoric – a high she hadn’t felt since she first turned. Though strangely enough, it also made her feel so incredibly human.</p><p>……………………..</p><p>Josie was sitting in the school’s main living room with MG and Lizzie, waiting for the school day to start. The four of them were flipping through books from the school’s library, trying to figure out how to wake Hope and Landon.</p><p>“At least let me hex her. Nothing major, just something to get her to leave you alone,” Lizzie told Josie.  That morning, Josie had woken up with a face full of acne and choppy purple hair, courtesy of Alyssa Chang. Luckily, Lizzie had been able to undo it, but it was pretty clear to all of them that Alyssa wasn’t going to backing down anytime soon. Not that Josie blamed her, as much as her sister and her friends assured her otherwise, she felt like she deserved it.</p><p>“More research?” Kaleb asked, joining them with a blood bag in hand.  Lizzie nodded, handing him a book.</p><p>MG glanced at the time of his phone, “What took you so long?” He asked Kaleb. “You almost missed breakfast.”</p><p>“Jade came with me. Turns out the new girl can keep up. Hell, she probably would’ve kept running if we didn’t have class,” Kaleb said, impressed.  “So who’s hexing who?” He asked, confusion clouding his face.</p><p>“No one is hexing anyone,” Josie said, not looking up from her book and trying her best to pretend that she couldn’t feel a blush rise into her cheeks at the sound of Jade’s name. “Besides you don’t even know how,” Josie pointed out. </p><p>Lizzie scoffed, “Can’t be that hard.”  She paused for a minute, thinking, “Compulsion could work too,” she muttered, looking at Kaleb and MG.</p><p>Before either of them had a chance to respond, Josie gasped. “Mom?”</p><p> They all turned to see the one and only Caroline Forbes-Salvatore standing in the doorway of the school. The twins jumped up and rushed towards her.</p><p>“Hey, babies,” Caroline smiled, pulling Josie and Lizzie into a tight hug. “I’ll be right back; I just need to kill your father first.”</p><p>Caroline marched off towards Alaric’s office, slamming the door behind her.</p><p>“Damn,” Kaleb said, breaking the silence, “Your mama is pissed.”</p><p>Josie and Lizzie shared a glance.</p><p>“Come on,” Lizzie hissed, grabbing Josie’s hand and beckoning for the boys to follow them.</p><p>Kaleb shook his head with a laugh, “Y’all have fun. It’s way too early in the morning for this damn super squad shit. Call me if something exciting happens.” He shot MG a sly look before taking off down the hallway, a half-finished blood bag in hand.</p><p>MG and the twins pushed through a stream of students walking to class in the opposite direction.</p><p>“What are we doing?” Josie asked her sister as the three of them walked down the hallway.</p><p>“Spying. Now lower your voice before they hear you,” Lizzie said as they continued down the hall.</p><p>“Didn’t your dad protect his office from magic? I won’t be able to use my vamp hearing.” MG asked curiously.</p><p>“I don’t think we’ll need it,” Josie whispered as they stopped just outside of the door. Their parents’ voices were still slightly muffled, but they were able to hear what Alaric and Caroline were saying.</p><p>Lizzie shot MG a pointed look, as if to say “I told you so” before pressing a finger to her lips.</p><p>The three teenagers listened to the conversation in Dr. Saltzman’s office.</p><p><em>“- and you weren’t even going to call me? Not even a ‘hey, Caroline, I know you’re off in Europe trying to prevent our girls from having to merge, but Josie absorbed the dark magic from some evil hour glass and is going to make them do it early, so you should probably head home.’  What if something had happened? If they’d gone through with the merge and we’d lost Lizzie? Or if Josie had been killed before you got her back?</em>” Their mom yelled, the angriest either girl had ever heard her.</p><p><em>“I thought we had it under control, Care,”</em> Lizzie and Josie heard their dad’s voice shaking. </p><p><em>“I am their mother, Ric!  I don’t care if you think you have it under control – I still deserve to know that one of my children was trying to kill the other.”</em> Caroline paused, before continuing, her tone laced with fire, <em>“You know what it did to me last time we almost lost the girls. But then you didn’t call me and let me know what was going on. You know, Lizzie called me last night, hysterical, because she found out that I’d spent the last week helping someone else, but I hadn’t come to help her. Or Josie.”</em> Her voice grew softer, <em>“Lizzie died, Ric. Our daughter died and I wasn’t there. What if your plan B hadn’t worked? What if I never got to say goodbye?”</em> They heard Caroline’s voice crack.  Josie squeezed Lizzie’s hand, mouthing ‘I’m sorry’ as they continued to listen.</p><p><em>“I’m so sorry, Caroline,”</em> their dad said, <em>“And you’re right, I should’ve called you, but it was all happening so fast. But it worked. We were able to save them by linking Lizzie’s life to another student’s and then one of the vampires sent Hope into Josie’s mind.”</em></p><p><em>“But see that’s the thing,” </em>their mom said, growing angry again,<em> “It worked for OUR kids, but what about the apparently dead phoenix hidden away in a dorm room? What about Hope? Were you really okay with sacrificing Klaus’s daughter to save ours, Ric? You never should have sent her in.  I know she’s strong and way too smart for her own good, but she’s still just a kid. You could’ve called me, or Bonnie, or any of the Mikaelsons. They would’ve come running if it could’ve kept Hope from doing something dangerous.”</em></p><p>The twins couldn’t make out what their dad said next, it was far too muffled for them to hear. They heard the adults’ footsteps move closer to the door and three of them took off running down the hallway.</p><p>“How’d you know that we’d be able to hear them through the barrier spell?” MG asked Lizzie as the three of them stopped once they decided that they were far enough away, out of breath.</p><p>“Call it a hunch,” Lizzie shrugged, before admitting, “I may’ve siphoned most of the barrier spell this morning to fix Barney here. I figured it would still be down.”</p><p>The three teens parted ways, officially late for their morning classes.  </p><p>………………….</p><p>Josie’s third class of the morning was interrupted with a knock on the door.</p><p>Caroline popped her head through the doorway, “I need to speak with Josie.” Josie gathered her things before stepping out into the hallway. Lizzie was standing behind their mom, a confused look on her face.</p><p>“What happened?” Josie asked Caroline, feeling herself growing worried. What else could gone wrong since they last time they saw her?</p><p>“Nothing, I just thought I’d take you girls out to lunch. The three of us could use some mother-daughter time.” She responded with a small smile.</p><p>“You’re letting us skip class?” Lizzie asked their mom in disbelief.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’ll write you a note,” Caroline smirked.</p><p>They walked out to Caroline’s car and the twins climbed in, throwing their books in the trunk. As their mom drove to the Mystic Grill, they made small talk, all three of them avoiding the elephant in the room.</p><p>As they walked into the Grill, Caroline was telling the girls about a little restaurant that she’d discovered in Paris.</p><p>“Oh, God,” Lizzie said suddenly as they sat down at a booth, “You didn’t actually kill Dad, did you?”</p><p>Caroline laughed, “No, I didn’t actually kill your dad. We just had a very…” she paused, searching for a good word to use, “frank discussion this morning.”</p><p>The twins shared a furtive glance, trying not to look guilty for eavesdropping that morning.</p><p>Caroline continued, reaching across the table to take the twins’ hands in hers, “I’m just so sorry that I wasn’t here for you girls. If anything had happened to you, I never would’ve been able to forgive myself.”</p><p>“You’re here now,” Josie said with a small smile.</p><p>“I am,” Caroline said, pursing her lips, “And I’m not going anywhere, at least not for a while. Truthfully, I should’ve admitted to myself a long time ago that I’m way too much of a control freak to go traipsing around Europe and leaving the school and your girls solely in the care of your father.” She laughed.  “There will be time to figure out a way to stop the merge, but right now it’s more important that I make sure you’re okay. All of you.”</p><p>“Hope’s not okay.  She’s still trapped.” Josie pointed out.</p><p>“And her hobbit’s still unconscious.” Lizzie added.</p><p>Caroline nodded, “I know. And we’re working on it. I spoke to Hope’s aunt. We’re not entirely sure what’s wrong, but some of her family is coming first thing tomorrow to help. We’re hoping that the original vampires are powerful enough to figure out what went wrong when MG sent her into your head and how to fix it. As for Landon, we’re still working on it. But we’re not giving up, I promise. If growing up in this town, in this world, taught me anything, it’s that nothing is impossible.” She smiled at the girls as their waiter came to the table to take their order. There would be a time for them to have a more serious conversation about what happened, but for now, this was enough.</p><p>.................</p><p>After dinner, Josie headed to the school library. Turns out skipping a week of classes because you’d gone dark was a pretty good way to end up buried in late work.  She had been able to catch up pretty quickly. She’d been having a pretty hard time sleeping since she came back, but on the bright side, that meant extra time to get back on track. She’d finished pretty much everything, aside from her paper on sirens for her honors class - Magical Folklore: Fact or Fiction.  Apparently vague memories from when she was four didn’t count as a reputable source.</p><p>After she pulled the thick and dusty book off of the shelf, she spotted Jade sitting at a table by herself.   There it was again. That same annoying flutter she’d felt the day before at breakfast.</p><p>“Hey,” Josie greeted Jade as she walked over.</p><p>“Hey,” Jade smiled back at her, looking up from her Advanced Supernatural Anatomy and Physiology textbook. </p><p>“You skipped dinner,” Josie remarked, immediately cursing herself. It wasn’t exactly the subtle approach she planned to take.</p><p>Jade shook her head with a small laugh, picking up her binder to reveal an empty blood-bag, “I took it to go.”</p><p>“You know, you’re welcome to eat with me anytime. If you’re worried about sitting alone, my friends are pretty cool,” Josie paused, realizing how Jade may’ve interpreted what she said, “Oh God, no, that’s not.. I didn’t mean that like you don’t have any friends… I mean, why wouldn’t you… I’m sure you have plenty of friends,” She stammered. She could feel her cheeks growing more and more flushed with each word. “But I just thought I’d offer.”</p><p>Jade smiled warmly. Damn, Josie was cute when she was flustered.</p><p>“I’d like that,” she replied. She watched as a look of relief spread across Josie’s face and her lips curved into a smile. Josie’s lips. Jade couldn’t stop thinking about Josie’s lips. About the dream she’d had that she wasn’t entirely sure was actually a dream. The way they’d felt so soft against hers and the way they’d tasted like strawberries. And the way that even though she knew deep down that it had probably just been a dream, it felt so real – one of the realest things Jade had felt in years.</p><p>“Great! I’d like that too,” Josie grinned.</p><p>She glanced at the books on the table in front of Jade, noting that she’d taken a few of the classes before. </p><p>“I know you probably don’t need it, but if you ever need help with your classes or anything, you can always text me,” Josie said, picking up the pen on the table in front of Jade and scribbling her phone number on a scrap piece of paper.</p><p>“I’ll definitely do that,” Jade smiled, picking up the piece of paper.</p><p>“Good,” Josie said. She glanced at her watch, “I should get going. This paper isn’t going to write itself,” Josie laughed, picking her thick textbook up off of the table.  “I’ll see you around.”</p><p>“See you around,” Jade said with a small smile. After Josie walked away, Jade made sure to safely tuck the paper in the pocket of her jacket.</p><p>……………………</p><p>Later that night, Jade was still sitting alone in the library, her books splayed in front of her. The Salvatore school was silent and still, but she liked it like this. She’d never appreciated the quiet before, but now she did, now, the quiet made her feel safe.</p><p>Even though all of her teachers had told her that they’d give her plenty of time of time to catch up, Jade didn’t want to take time. For ten years, her life had been on pause – living the same day over and over with her humanity off. She just wanted to be able to move forward with her life and getting on track with school was going to be a big part of that.</p><p>Truthfully, she’d always enjoyed school and studying. She’d been good at it and for a long time going to school was the only constant in her turbulent childhood. She was craving that sense of familiarity now.  She’d give anything to be that girl again, who wore the badge of teacher’s pet proudly and craved learning more than anything else in the world. The girl who was a good student and had dreamed of becoming a doctor. It seemed impossible now – she couldn’t be around the blood.  But she was damn sure going to try her best to find that girl again.</p><p>“What are you still doing here? It’s nearly midnight?” Jade looked up to see Caroline standing in front of her.</p><p>“Just trying to get caught up, since I missed half the semester,” Jade replied.</p><p>“You will, don’t worry,” Caroline smiled at her, “Why don’t I walk you back to the Mill? This will all still be here tomorrow.”</p><p>Jade nodded, knowing there was no point in trying to argue. Caroline waited as she gathered her things. Jade wanted to believe that Caroline was just making a kind gesture, but she had a feeling it had more to do with not trusting a ripper to be alone in the school while everyone else slept.</p><p>“Why are you being so nice to me?” Jade asked as they stepped out into the cool Virginia night.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Caroline asked, looking at the younger vampire.</p><p>“I killed someone, but you’re still helping me and being so kind to me even though I don’t deserve it.” Jade said.</p><p>Caroline stopped, turning to face Jade, “Alaric and I started this school to help supernatural kids like you. I think we’d like to imagine that we’d created a safer world for all of you, but I think sometimes it’s easy for us to forget how hard it can be. And we were so focused on trying to protect all of you, that we didn’t do a good job preparing you for the real world. Nearly every vampire I’ve ever known has killed, sometimes hundreds of people. No matter how hard we try to fight it, it’s part of our basic nature – that predatory need to kill and the bloodlust. It’s part of every vampire. But they’re all capable of being better.”</p><p>“Even rippers?” Jade asked hesitantly, her voice small. </p><p>“Even rippers.” Caroline said with a reassuring smile.  As they continued walking towards the Old Mill, Jade brushed her fingers against the folded-up piece of paper in her jacket pocket and she felt a smile spread across her face. She was going to be better. She was determined to be.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Happy Medium</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>How the hell did she get here? Jade was running through the woods outside of the school.  But something was wrong. This wasn’t one of her runs with Kaleb. She was scared out of her mind. Where was she going? What was she running from? As she ran, she began to realize. She was back in the prison world. This was a dream. No, it was a nightmare.</p><p>She spotted Wendy running in front of her. And Jade realized, she wasn’t the one being chased, she was the one doing the chasing. As Jade got closer and closer, she willed herself to stop. This wasn’t right. Her humanity was back on; she didn’t want to do this. But she wasn’t in control. She was an unwilling passenger – trapped in the body of her ripper self, cursed to relive the awful things she’d done with her humanity off.</p><p>Wendy screamed as Jade bit down on her neck. </p><p>After she drained Wendy’s body of blood, Jade continued. She hunted them down one by one.</p><p>Sebastian.</p><p>Diego.</p><p>Then Kai. </p><p>Jade shot up in her bed, drenched in a cold sweat. She looked around the Old Mill. She was awake. This was the real world. Thank, God.</p><p>The sun was just beginning to rise – she had another hour before she was supposed to meet Kaleb in the woods. Plenty of time to get a little more sleep, but she didn’t want to sleep. When she was awake, she at least had some control – if she kept herself distracted enough, she wouldn’t have to think about the things that had happened to her there, the things she’d done. But when she was asleep… She was vulnerable and it all came rushing back. She didn’t want to go through that again. Besides, it wasn’t like she needed sleep anyway.</p><p>Jade flung her legs over the side of the bed, looking for her running shoes. A couple extra miles wouldn’t hurt.  Hell, she’d run across the country if it would help her forget the dream she’d had.<br/>
……………………<br/>
That morning, Josie sat in her dad’s office with Lizzie, Kaleb Rafael, and MG. Her dad had asked all of them to come to help answer any questions that Hope’s family may have for them about what happened. </p><p>Lizzie and the boys were discussing Hope’s family. Not so much the things they’d learned in their classes over the years, but the ridiculous rumors that used to spread about the Mikaelsons before everyone found out that Hope was one of them.</p><p>Josie wasn’t really listening. She could feel her stomach twisting in on itself. She felt so damn guilty for what had happened to Hope. She wasn’t ready to face Hope’s family.</p><p>As Kaleb was telling a story of how he’d heard that Klaus Mikaelson had been singlehandedly responsible for the Jack the Ripper murders, the office doors opened. The twins’ parents walked in, followed by three adults that Josie recognized from the pictures in Hope’s room.</p><p>“You must be Hope’s friends,” the blonde said with a smile, “I’m her aunt Rebekah. This is my husband, Marcel. And my sister-in-law Davina. I’m afraid Kol couldn’t make it,” She shifted her gaze to Alaric and Caroline, her tone turning icy, “You see, he was so disappointed that the two of you allowed our niece to do something so incredibly reckless that he was ready to kill the lot of you. But seeing as my niece has chosen to become friends with your offspring, I decided against it and asked him to sit this one out.</p><p>“I’m MG. It’s nice to meet you,” MG said eagerly, looking from Davina to Marcel to Rebekah, oblivious to the obvious tension in the room.</p><p>“God, MG don’t have a nerd-gasm,” Lizzie scoffed with an eye roll as Kaleb and Rafael attempted to stifle laughter.</p><p>Davina stepped forward, shooting a look to Marcel. Marcel placed a hand on Rebekah’s arm in an effort to calm her.</p><p>“Where’s Freya?” Josie asked the brunette. She knew that both of Hope’s aunts were powerful witches, but from what she’d heard, Freya was by far the more powerful of the two.</p><p>“She and Keelin were traveling abroad with baby Nik when your mother called. She didn’t want us to wait for them to get back to come help Hope. They should be in Mystic Falls tonight. But I’m hoping we can fix this whole mess before that. First things first, who sent her in?” Davina asked, eying the teenagers.</p><p>“I did,” MG said, sheepishly raising his hand.</p><p>“How old are you?” Marcel asked, looking at MG.</p><p>“Seventeen,” MG answered.</p><p>“Oh, bloody hell,” Rebecca muttered as Marcel let out an exasperated sigh.  Alaric and Caroline shared a glance. The kids didn’t need to be around to witness a pissed off Original.</p><p>“You boys should probably head to class. The twins can stay in case we need them to siphon, but I think we’ve got it from here,” Caroline said pointedly.</p><p>“And miss the…?”  MG’s voice trailed off as Kaleb and Rafael stood, shooting him an urgent look. They’d both picked up on the murderous expression on Rebekah’s face.  All three boys quickly left.</p><p>As Josie glanced around the room, looking at Hope’s family, she felt her heart begin to beat faster and faster. She felt like she couldn’t breathe.  This was her fault. This was happening because of her – because of what she had done, because she wasn’t strong enough. She had to get out of here.</p><p>“Mom, I don’t have my magic, I can’t help either,” Josie pointed out, looking to Caroline.</p><p>Her mom looked at Josie, her brow furrowed, “I guess you’re right. Since she’s one of your best friends, I just thought…” She trailed off, noticing the expression on Josie’s face. She knew her daughter well enough to know that she didn’t need to be in Alaric’s office while all of this was happening.  </p><p>“Go, honey. We’ll come find you if anything changes,” Caroline nodded at Josie, before turning her attention to Hope’s family.</p><p>Josie left the room and darted down the hallway. She didn’t know where she was going, just that she couldn’t be in her dad’s office for another second. Josie ducked into the kitchen. She slid down against the counter, feeling her knees crumple beneath her. As she hit the floor, she pulled her knees against her chest. Her body began to shake as she sobbed. Alone in the dark and quiet kitchen, she let it all out. Everything that she’d felt since the moment she’d come back – the shame, the guilt, the pain. All of it.<br/>
…………….<br/>
A couple hours later, Jade walked into the empty Salvatore School kitchen for a quick snack before her next class. She was still getting used to drinking animal blood again and she’d quickly discovered that it no longer satiated her hunger for long. And seeing as she was now surrounded by walking human blood bags, she didn’t want to risk letting the hunger transition to blood lust.</p><p>She paused as her phone dinged with a text message.  Trigonometry was cancelled. Thank God. Jade normally loved math, but trig been enough of a bore the first time around. </p><p>As Jade walked closer, she heard a noise. She immediately felt herself tense, ready to bare her fangs and attack. Just a fun little side effect from her years in the prison world.</p><p>But then she realized that the source of the sound wasn’t a threat at all – it sounded more like crying.</p><p>She felt herself relax as the parts of her that were human regained control over the more animalistic parts of her. She walked slowly to the other end of the counter.</p><p>As she discovered the source of the sound, she felt her heart break.</p><p>Josie was sitting on the floor, curled into herself against the counter with her head buried in her arms.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Jade asked softly, looking down at the brunette witch.</p><p>Josie looked up, embarrassed. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She said quickly, swiping at her eyes.</p><p>The girls locked eyes for a minute. “You’re not,” Jade said firmly. She paused, realizing what she’d said. Sure, they’d been flirting and seemed to be becoming friends, but they were nowhere near this close yet.  It was as if every boundary that Jade had been so careful not to cross had come crashing down the second she saw that Josie was so upset. And now, all that mattered to her was helping Josie feel better. </p><p>“Maybe not,” Josie admitted with a small shrug.</p><p>“Can I sit?” Jade asked. Josie’s brown eyes widened in surprise. </p><p>“I.. um.. Sure,” Josie said, before pausing, “Don’t you have class?” Josie asked with a small laugh.</p><p>Jade shook her head, holding up her phone, “Cancelled. So slide over.” She said, sitting down next to Josie. </p><p>“I’m kinda surprised to see you. I figured you’d be with Lizzie and your parents all day. MG said you were helping Hope’s family,” Jade said.</p><p>“I was. And then I wasn’t. I just..” Josie paused, glancing over at Jade.  “It’s all my fault.” She said, her voice breaking. “I took in all of that dark magic and then I couldn’t control it. I wasn’t strong enough. But Hope was, so she had MG send her into my head and she saved me. But now she won’t wake up and it’s all my fault.”</p><p>Jade nodded slowly. She knew a thing or two about being overcome by darkness. She knew how it felt to lose control and do something unspeakable, something horrible. But Josie was good. Jade didn’t know her very well, but she knew her enough to know that she was. She knew she was the kind of person whose friends would do anything to help her. Jade pressed her lips together, thinking of something to say.</p><p>“Let me ask you something,“ Jade said, “For a minute, let’s just pretend that you didn’t take in all that dark magic. Someone else did and you had the chance to do what Hope did and save them. Would you do what she did? Would you do it for MG, or Lizzie, your dad, or Lizzie, or Hope?”</p><p>“Of course,” Josie said without hesitation.</p><p>“Then why can’t you accept that someone would be willing to do it for you?” Jade asked her. </p><p>Josie sighed, leaning her head back against the counter. Jade had a point.</p><p>“I guess that’s kind of been my problem since I was a kid,” Josie admitted after a moment, “I’ve always been so focused on taking care of everyone else that I never really focused on taking care of myself, let alone letting anyone else take care of me.” Josie paused, remembering the conversation she’d had with Rafael on his first day at the school. It was hard to believe that it had only been a little over a year ago. Things had changed so much since then. Or maybe they hadn’t. Josie wasn’t sure which prospect was scarier. “I care too much.” Josie said softly, repeating what she’d said that day.  </p><p>“Speaking as someone who spent the last decade actively not caring, I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. I mean,” Jade paused, choosing her words carefully, “There has to be a happy medium somewhere, right? You can still take care of other people, but also make sure you take care of yourself?”</p><p>“I sure hope so,” Josie said with a small sigh.</p><p>“And for what it’s worth, if you wouldn’t have broken that hour glass..”</p><p>“Sand clock,” Josie corrected.</p><p>“Whatever,” Jade smirked, “If you hadn’t broken the sand clock.” Jade made sure to emphasize the words ‘sand clock,’ eliciting a laugh from Josie. “We wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. Everyone would’ve died when the prison world collapsed – me, Wendy, your dad, Lizzie, you.  You made a choice and it saved everyone’s lives. It just happened to have incredibly shitty consequences. And besides, aren’t Hope’s family the OG original vampires? If anyone can fix this, I bet they can.”</p><p>“How did you know that Hope’s family is here anyway? My dad was trying to keep it quiet.” Josie asked curiously.</p><p>“MG and Kaleb haven’t shut up about them all morning,” Jade said, rolling her eyes.</p><p>“Of course, they haven’t,” Josie laughed, remembering the face MG had made earlier that morning when he’d met them.  “So how are your classes going so far?”</p><p>“They’re okay, you know, when they don’t get cancelled,” Jade said, “Though I do I have my first test in supernatural A &amp; P in a few days so I’m trying not to freak out about it too much.”</p><p>“I aced supernatural A &amp; P. I still have all of my old notes!” Josie said enthusiastically, before blushing, “I mean, I could help you study, if you want...” She said shyly.</p><p>“That would be great,” Jade responded with a small smile. “I could-“ Jade began to say before a voice interrupted her. </p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry,” the girls turned to see a brunette woman standing beside them, Hope’s Aunt Davina, Josie reminded herself.  “Your sister mentioned that you guys keep blood bags in the kitchen.  I didn’t mean to interrupt.” She said, looking down at the girls.</p><p> Josie and Jade looked down, following Davina’s gaze. Somehow, without either of them realizing it, their pinkies had become interlocked.  They pulled apart, blushing at each other as they stood up.  </p><p>“I should probably get to class.  I’ll text you about studying,” Jade said as she pulled a blood bag out of the fridge, double checking to make sure it was an animal blood bag before darting out of the kitchen.</p><p>Josie reached into the fridge, pulling out a blood bag and handing it to Davina. </p><p>“How’s everything going?” Josie asked as they walked back to her dad’s office.</p><p>“Good, we think. The good news is that there doesn’t seem to be any other magic at work, so what we’re thinking is that Hope somehow got transferred from your head to her own. So, your mom and Rebekah went in. Marcel and I stayed behind in case we have to pull them out.” Davina held up the blood bag, “We figured he should be at full strength, just in case.”</p><p>Josie nodded, it sounded like Hope’s family had things under control.  She had a sneaking suspicion that the blonde vampires were much more experienced with vampire head dives than MG was.</p><p>“Where’s Dad?” Josie asked her sister as she walked into her Dad’s office.  </p><p>“Drama with the wolves,” Lizzie said with an eye roll.</p><p>Before Josie could ask for more details, her mom and Rebekah sat up with a gasp.</p><p>“Did it-?” Lizzie began to ask before Hope sat up, breathing heavily.  Hope’s family rushed forward to hug the tribrid.</p><p>Lizzie and Josie hung back for a moment, not wanting to interrupt, before Hope barreled toward them, practically tackling the twins.</p><p>“I changed the story just like you said,” Josie whispered as Hope hugged them tightly.</p><p>........................</p><p>A little while later, the three girls sat in the chairs outside of Alaric’s office as they waited for the adults to finish talking. </p><p>“So where were you? Is your subconscious some kind of wacked out fairytale too?” Lizzie asked.</p><p>“Lizzie,” Josie hissed. As curious as she was, it wasn’t really any of their business.</p><p>“It’s okay, Jo,” Hope said with a small laugh, “I think I just got scared. It’s hard to explain, but after everything that’s happened to me, something about being in your head made me want to hide in my own, in my memories from when I was just a little girl and I still had both of my parents. It was wonderful, but it wasn’t real. But I did learn something, something that I think I’ve known for a long time. I just wasn’t ready to admit it.”</p><p>“That for whatever reason you continue to insist on making a martyr out of yourself and scaring the hell out of the rest of us?” Lizzie scoffed.</p><p>“No, though you may have a point,” Hope said, with a small laugh. Same old Lizzie.  “I realized that ever since I lost my parents, I’ve been holding back. For the past few years, I’ve been suppressing my magic without even realizing it.  And I can’t do it anymore, not if I want to keep the people I love safe.  Now come on, I want to find Landon and let him know I’m okay,” Hope said as she stood.</p><p>Lizzie looked over at Josie, a panicked expression on her face. Hope didn’t know. “Hope, there’s something we have to tell you about Landon,” </p><p>“What happened?” Hope asked, her eyes widening.</p><p>“After you linked him to Lizzie..” Josie began, before finding herself rendered speechless as Rafael walked up to them, a very much alive Landon close behind. </p><p>“Landon!” Hope exclaimed, jumping up from her chair and wrapping her arms around her boyfriend’s neck.</p><p>The twins shared a glance before looking over at Rafael, who shrugged in response.</p><p>Josie smiled widely.  Maybe things were finally going to get back to normal. Well, as normal as things could be.<br/>
…………………<br/>
That night, Jade sat on her bed, furiously scribbling on the index cards she was making for her upcoming test. But she was having a hard time focusing. She was thinking about Josie. Again. More specifically, she was thinking about the conversation they’d had in the kitchen that morning. When they’d actually talked, really talked, for the first time. But she was trying her damnedest not to read too much into it. Josie had been feeling vulnerable and that was all there was to it. It didn’t mean anything. At least that’s what she kept telling herself. </p><p>She heard a knock at the doorway of the Old Mill.    She looked up to see Josie standing there, a small tote bag in hand.</p><p>“I just wanted to come by and say… thank you for today.” Josie said, walking over to Jade’s bed.</p><p>“Glad I could help,” Jade said with a shy smile. </p><p>“I thought you were gonna text me,” Josie said with a raised eyebrow, looking at the mess of school supplies splayed across Jade’s bed.</p><p>Jade shrugged, “I figured you’d be busy with Hope.”</p><p>Josie shook her head, “She’s with her family.”</p><p>“So she’s okay?”  Jade asked, feeling a sense of relief wash over her.</p><p>“I think so,” Josie smiled, “I brought you something.” She smiled, handing the tote bag to Jade. “All my old notes for Supernatural A &amp; P.”</p><p>“Thank you, Josie. This is great,” Jade said.</p><p>Josie stood shyly as Jade looked through the bag. She couldn’t help but feel that she was somehow intruding on Jade’s space. She looked for an excuse to stay, her eyes landing on Jade’s multi-colored flashcards. </p><p>“I like to use flash cards too,” Josie blurted, looking at the messy stack surrounding Jade. God, why was she so lame? It wasn’t like she’d never done this kind of thing before. But there was something about Jade that made her so damn nervous. </p><p>“I’ve always studied best by quizzing myself, but sometimes I have a hard time keeping myself from cheating,” Jade admitted with a small laugh. </p><p> “Well, I’d be happy to quiz you if that’d help. I promise I won’t let you see the answers,” Josie offered teasingly, suddenly feeling brave.</p><p>“Really?” Jade asked. “That would be great, I mean as long as you don’t have anything else you’d rather be doing.”  She felt her heart flutter in her chest. She’d been hoping Josie would offer to stay, but she didn’t think she would. </p><p>“Nope,” Josie shook her head, “I’m happy right here.”  She sat on the end of the bed and picking up with stack of index cards.  “Ready?” </p><p>“Wait!” Jade exclaimed suddenly, reaching into her nightstand and pulling out a stack of gum. “Just something kind of silly I’ve done since I was in middle school. You chew it while you study and then chew the same flavor during the test. It’s supposed to help jog your memory or something. It’s probably bogus, but old habits die hard, right?” She laughed, taking a piece and handing one to Josie. </p><p>Josie felt a shiver go down her spine as her hand brushed against Jade’s. She grinned as she popped the piece of gum into her mouth. If she hadn’t been sure before, she definitely was now. She had a crush on Jade, a pretty damn big crush.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. No Apology Necessary</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jade walked into the dining hall for lunch, pausing to look for Josie. She smiled as she spotted the brunette witch. It had been a week since that day in the kitchen and, much to Jade’s delight, they were officially friends. They sat together nearly every meal. Sure, their other friends were also there, but Jade found herself counting down the minutes to mealtimes, not because she was hungry, but because it meant that she got to hang out with Josie. And they “studied” together nearly every night.</p><p>“Check it out!” Jade exclaimed as she slid into the seat next to Josie, holding up the test she’d taken on Friday.</p><p>“See, I told you that you didn’t have anything to worry about,” Josie grinned widely. “Maybe the chewing gum trick isn’t bogus after all,” she added with a small smile.</p><p>“Maybe not. Or,” Jade paused, “You’re just a really good tutor.” </p><p>“Maybe,” Josie smiled, locking eyes with Jade. </p><p> Lizzie, MG, Rafael and Kaleb walked over to join them at the lunch table.  Jade scooted closer to Josie to make room for their friends, her thigh bumping into Josie's.  She turned to apologize, but Josie smiled reassuringly - no apology necessary. </p><p>“What?” MG said incredulously, grabbing Jade’s test out of Josie’s hand.  “That’s so not fair. Mr. D never gives anyone anything over a 92, how did you manage to get a 98?”  He looked over at Rafael and Kaleb who nodded in agreement.</p><p>Jade shrugged in response, taking her test back from MG. She’d always tested well and she was sure that her time spent training as an EMT gave her a leg up, but she had a feeling that her study sessions with Josie may have played a larger part. </p><p>The three boys launched into a heated discussion about what they perceived as the school’s unfair grading practices, with Josie occasionally interjecting in an attempt to play devil’s advocate and stick up for their teachers.</p><p>Jade glanced across the table at Lizzie, who was completely unaware to the conversation taking place at the table. The blonde was slowly warming up to Jade – she’d seemingly accepted that she wasn’t going anywhere and was becoming part of her friends’ (and her sister’s) lives, meaning that she’d inevitably become part of Lizzie's whether she liked it or not. But strangely, Lizzie didn't seem to realize she was even there. She was staring pretty intently across the dining hall.</p><p>Jade turned, following her gaze. Hope Mikaelson and Landon Kirby had walked into the dining hall. But as far as Jade knew, they were all friends. And Lizzie wasn’t exactly looking at them in a friendly way. Maybe there was some drama going on that she didn’t know about. Not that it was really any of her business.</p><p>She refocused on the conversation to find that Josie and the boys were now excitedly discussing some movie that Jade had never heard of. Another fun reminder of where she’d been for the past ten years – she was completely out of the loop whenever her friends talked about anything that occurred over the last decade.</p><p>Josie glanced over at Jade, noticing her discomfort. She realized that the movie they were talking about had come out last year – meaning that Jade had never even heard of it, let alone seen it.</p><p>“I really think you’d like it,” Josie said with a small smile, “Maybe we can watch it together next time we need a study break.”</p><p>Jade grinned widely, “Sound like a plan.”<br/>
…………………………………..</p><p>That night, Josie awoke to Lizzie shaking her shoulder. She squinted at the time on her phone before groaning at her sister. “It’s midnight. Go away.”</p><p>“Emergency super squad meeting in the library, let’s go.” Lizzie said, grabbing Josie’s hand and dragging her out of the room.</p><p>As they walked to the library, Josie shivered. The wooden floors were freezing on her bare feet. Lizzie hadn’t given her time to grab a robe, let alone slippers.</p><p>As they approached the library, she spotted MG and Kaleb waiting for them.</p><p>“Thank you for coming to this emergency super squad meeting. Let’s get started,” Lizzie whispered</p><p>“You do realize you’re missing like half of the super squad?” MG asked, noting that Hope, Rafael and Landon were absent.</p><p>“That’s kind of the point. Something’s wrong with Frodo,” Lizzie said. The other three teens shared a glance, waiting for the punchline. When it didn’t come, they realized that Lizzie was serious.</p><p>“Am I seriously the only one who’s noticed?” Lizzie groaned.  “There’s been something off about him since he woke up. Anyway, I thought maybe it had something to do with the whole golden arrow thing and maybe he just needed some time to readjust, but now I think it’s something else.”</p><p>“Like what?” Josie asked her sister, suddenly feeling very wide awake.</p><p>“I’m not really sure,” She admitted, “I already looked in our library, but I couldn’t find anything.”</p><p>“Makes sense,” MG said, “We’ve been having a hard time finding information about anything Malivore-related.”</p><p>“Exactly. So, I’m gonna have to go old school,” Lizzie said, pulling an atlas off of the shelf and holding up a small knife. “I enchanted the blade with a locator spell. Instead of looking for a person, it’s going to look for information about the golden arrow. If there are any books that have the answers we need, it should tell us,” she explained, as she slowly dragged the knife across her palm, allowing her blood to drip on a map of the world.</p><p>“Consider it an advanced search,” she said with a proud smile as the blood spread across the open atlas.</p><p>“Durham, North Carolina?” Kaleb read aloud, glancing down at the map.</p><p>“Isn’t that where Duke is?  Where Dad went?” Josie asked.  “There must be something about the golden arrow on their campus, maybe the library?"</p><p>“Roadtrip!” Lizzie whispered excitedly. “If we leave first thing tomorrow, we can be there by lunch.” She glanced at the other teenagers, Josie and MG nodded hesitantly, but Kaleb appeared to be deep in thought.</p><p>Kaleb thought for a minute, before shaking his head, “I’m not going. Look, if something is really gonna go down, then someone needs to stay to help protect the younger students. Especially if nobody’s expecting it.”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Josie asked, “I mean, if Lizzie’s right, having a vampire with us could come in handy,” She paused, looking at MG, “I mean one who’s pretty good at compulsion. No offense,” she added, shooting him an apologetic glance.</p><p>“Why don’t you ask Jade?” Kaleb responded, “I know y’all are becoming friends and apparently she’s pretty good at the whole compulsion thing.”  </p><p>“We don’t need ripper Barbie. We have MG,” Lizzie responded. Josie opened her mouth to argue on Jade's behalf, but MG beat her to it. </p><p>“Actually, I think Kaleb has a point,” MG said, “I kind of suck at compulsion. If you’re really onto something, having someone who actually knows what the hell they’re doing probably wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”</p><p>“Fine, whatever.” Lizzie huffed, “Tell her to meet us at the front of the school at 5:30. We should leave while it’s still dark out before anyone else wakes up. Don’t be late.” She added before the boys snuck off towards the Old Mill.</p><p>As the twins walked back to their dorm room, Lizzie whispered their plans for the next day. Josie nodded in agreement, but she wasn’t really listening. </p><p>Truthfully, Josie was still too tired to entirely process what had just happened, but as she walked back to her dorm, she felt a flutter in her chest. Part of her was terrified, if Lizzie was right and something was wrong, she had no clue what it could mean – surely nothing good. But she also felt eager. Thinking about going off on some covert road trip with Jade (and MG and her sister) filled her with excitement.</p>
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